title: Intimate partner violence and the meaning of love.
abstract: Despite physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse from their partner, many women remain in an abusive relationship, often proclaiming to love the one who is hurting them. Nineteen females who had experienced intimate partner violence were interviewed and asked to share their experiences and describe their meaning of love. An analysis of the transcripts was done using qualitative content analysis. With this approach, the contents of the verbal data were summarized and arranged in three major categories: (1) What love is not; (2) Attributes of a loving relationship; and (3) Attachment to the relationship. The findings demonstrate a woman's clear recognition of being in an abusive relationship, yearning to be truly loved, but often finding herself unable to detach from the relationship.
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University, School of Nursing, Charleston, West Virginia 25304-1299, USA. mismith@hsc.wvu.edu
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nunley
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005783:Gender Identity; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*